ESPN reacts to Kyle Kuzma scores 31 helps Wizards snap 5-game skid with 109-102 win over Kings
Are dead last in points in the paint allowed right yeah like on average they allow 59.4 points the Kings only scored 34 points in the paint yeah like that alone the way that they were not aggressive the way that they were settling then you’re going okay we control what you can’t control the
Defensive end how many line drives did we see tonight by the Washington Wizards you know I understand what you’re saying but yeah however I’m going to give you a however however it’s pretty hard to get paint points sometimes when you’re shooting so poorly from the three right their game plan was
Just to pack the paint and make them try to beat them from the outside that’s what it looked like and so they had like horse shots like wide open threes they just didn’t knock them down and so once you’re able to knock down some open three-point shots then you loosen up
Then you have the pump fade going into the rim you the rotations get a bit a little bit harder the defense might not rotate as hard but like it was a weird game because there was a game of runs like it would go 10 to two yes 15 to two
Then 10 to three like it it was just like back and forth there was not a steady Pace to the game and so sometimes that’s really hard to get a rhythm offensively yeah that that was one of the more interesting things and you can obviously talk on this coming out in a
Game setting the tone early is huge right it I mean it really I know sometimes you’re you’re not going to set the tone you’re going to be down 19 and you find a way to come back but the kings were so sluggish in this first half and we talked about that at halftime
Chelsea do you do you put a lot into that like that just carried throughout the game what was it about them being sluggish you know I don’t know I think they were just a second like a second step slow um to start the game I mean I
Said it and I called it in the first quarter I was like H I don’t know how I’m feeling about this Kings game right now just their uh the way they were moving how they were rotating defensively I wasn’t a big fan and then offensively it was going to be hard to
Kind of manufactur points when you can’t get out in transition can’t get out in secondary action and you’re constantly taking the ball out of the Rim Yeah that there’s so so many of those little things that was like throwing off their game and then it felt like they weren’t
Able to control what they could control I also thought even with the rotations like it seemed weird when we saw Kesler Edwards in there in that first half and a lot of positive basketball was happening with Kessler Edwards in there then in the second half it was he went
In there after Mike Brown got mad at Keegan or whoever else and he went in there quick but then he still only ended up playing nine minutes in this game when they probably needed his length and just what he was adding in that first half in there for the second half yeah I
May would have got given him another opportunity out there in the game cuz you maybe you just need need a fresh face fresh energy um really somebody that’s locked into the Scout uh fresh legs so maybe I would have given him another opportunity but he did a great
Job of coming in and kind of changing the pace of the game on both sides of the basketball KY guzma played pretty well tonight ho at 31 points he was what three of seven from three-point land you know so but even his threes that he made
It felt like big moment threes it didn’t just feel like oh you know you only had three in this one it was moments when I felt like the kings were finally getting things going um why couldn’t the Kings slow down Kyle kma enough you know he was attacking different lanes and
Attacking different matchups and was scoring in a variety of ways like he wasn’t doing one thing the entire time he was getting to the Lane catching shoot threes coming off of some pick and rolls and going to the basket back to the basket here like he was finding his
Way to the rim if he didn’t have that he stopped it sto short around the free throw line and was able to hit that jumper and then knocking down threes he was he was the definition of scoring on all three levels tonight yeah and they shot 40% from three-point land as a team
Uh only making you know 10 threes 51% from the field but with Kyle kozma you know I I look at him as a good player in this league absolutely but I’ve seen this king’s defense slow down teams with multiple good players on a team and it was confusing why the resistance wasn’t
There along the perimeter and that we were seen so many times that he was getting to his spots or where he wanted to like where was that why wasn’t that there I believe like defense affects offense offense affects defense and so when you’re having a little bit of a
Sluggish game and that’s not really the King’s game they got to be able to move the basketball cut and have a good Pace to their game um so it might have just been one of those games defensively but I’m not mad at the shots that they did
Get offensively it just led to some of those open possessions maybe matchups that you would normally have on Kyle kosma because they’re coming in transition because of long threes long rebounds it’s okay River Rock daily jackpot got to talk about something good right doas the bonus I’ll be a little
Bit more excited ping my step in my voice domas sabonis with his 52 double double is that good that was pretty good thank you manufactured there but that was pretty a little forced um it’s exciting to see glad he got it like no matter what like it is cool it sucks
When it’s when it’s a loss like it’s like somebody gets so many points or they get a triple double and it’s with the loss you’re just like H it’s good but like I don’t really want to record that much so much but um what he’s been
Able to do with having so many double doubles you can’t really take that lightly he’s getting all boards and defensive rebounds like a lot of times when you have somebody so dominant in the paint and you get the and you have the luxury of a of a rebounding post
Like that like you’re not even clashing a guys you’re like he’s got it we can get on a transition and some of those moments you’re able to do that if you’re a King’s Guard it’s so nice to be able to depend on him to grab those boards he
Finished with 14 he had 14 points um six assists for him a lot of shots were be missed obviously but I don’t only feel like a lot of shots were being missed I feel like at times they weren’t creating to get the best shots I the wizard had a
Game plan and the game plan was you know obviously pack the paint or uh when they throw they would just throw that double up at dear and it felt like they weren’t moving the ball around quick enough or they weren’t move their bodies weren’t moving around quickly enough I me I
Remember you yelling at someone saying like Hut move move now you telling me yes there’s some moments where if the defense is just loaded a nice like superficial cut it moves the defense it makes them take a second look like okay who cut and then your spacing gets a
Little it makes it turn a little bit differently um somebody else’s at the top of the key versus uh somebody with maybe some more length like a Kyle kosma um so I would have liked to see like a little bit more Cuts maybe somebody stopping down there at the dunker area
To uh figure out the spacing talking about the spacing I I think we you and I were talking a lot about this with domas sabonis um why AR you yeah let me go go to your scen let me show you what was going what was was not really working
Here um and the way the Washington Wizards were playing against the Sacramento Kings we have a little glitch here going on all right here we go sabona is here coming into the paint look at that one two three four four eyes and Kyle kma filling in to be able
To take whoever he passes it to good shot by dearen Fox like I’m living with that and then this next possession here he gets at the free throw line if you stop it right after here look look at look at everybody looking they’re just waiting for him to put the ball on the
On the floor and if they do they’re collapsing they’re making him make a second pass making somebody else beat them once again another good shot I would take that all day again he finally a post up I would have liked to see him post up a little bit more but at the
Same time look at the congestion once again he puts the ball on the floor and somebody’s here digging and everybody else is ready to be able to get to Shooters and so when you have somebody like sa bonis do those types of things like it’s really really difficult if
You’re not making shots because it releases the spacing if you do that right I would have liked to see him post up and and maybe have some moments where he can finish over the top but it’s I mean they did they they executed the game plan and congesting the lane cuz
Usually when he is even doing that it’s like he can take that moment square up and go but I feel like the amount of activity there with the hands and just everyone collapsing but on top of all that Chelsea you you showed even those two shots wide open from three you’re
Taking them that’s what you want now if you as a team are missing them are you at some point as a coach game planning differently for hey you guys we’re missing a lot of shots let’s not just settle let’s uh you know if we have that
Maybe take take what take a dribble in and take a baseline jumper like what do you want if you put a possession up on film and you see the play that has happened right and a nice kick out wide open 3 you pause it before you see the result
Okay right I don’t think that there’s moments where you have that that’s the moment where you can’t be result driven it’s like part of the process and you want those three four five passes and a good shot cuz a lot more times it’s going to go in like sharing the ball how
You’re feeling about it like think about the nights that they’ve had with beyond the three-point line and they’re able to knock it down it’s because they’ve been able to get so many assists and so it’s the exact same play you have a different result they they win a game they miss
Shots which is hard and it’s tough you don’t want that L especially against the Wizards yeah and this timing you know it’s not very good but at the same time you’re looking at it’s like okay was that the play that I’ve been harping on and that I want want from our players
And want them to do well Daren Fox took a lot of shots tonight and you know when it’s Daren you want him to keep shooting the ball and I felt like at times he was taking good looks and on top of all that before I get to his shooting let me just
Mention he had six steals in this game five of them came in that first half you know he was handy he was in the passing Lane he was locked in defensively which was great cuz then it started helping him create on the other end of the floor
He knocked down five of 15 from three three-point land and then 10 of 30 from the field Chelsea what what did you see from his offensive game he was just trying to manufacture points and find some energy he started off the game a little rough and it’s really hard to
Come to come back from that I think he started the game 0 for eight 0 for nine and that’s really hard so if you take those possession like some of those shots were nice shots they were his nice little floater right in front of the rim
And um but what I like is that there’s other parts of the stat sheet that he was able to fill six steals that’s hard to do he was trying to man factured times to get the basketball and to go down the court on the offensive end and
Score and you know sometimes you’re just not going to have those nights and like you said it’s um it’s Deen Fox you’re going to put the ball in his hands you’re going to want him to create I feel like at times the Wizard’s defense looked like it was doing a pretty good
Job on him when he would get into the paint but how how all of a sudden tonight were they just doing so good on everybody in the paint you know like were they being the the the team that was like trying to be more physical be more aggressive like did you feel like
That switch was there um from the Sacramento Kings no for the Wizards um it’s difficult right I think they went to a game plan understanding who they’ like to get the ball to On the Block which is sabonis right and they were just like okay we’ll live with that
Whoever shoots a three um I think they were making them go in the second and third actions um I don’t know if something with the backtack had an impact you know you’re not going to make excuses but I think they made them go into their second or thir thir actions
Be like okay if this happens and this is a kick out this is what we’re going to and they were they played well like they played well offensively and they had a game plan and tried to execute it that was so annoying to watch um you know
What else was really hard to watch Malik monk he got really frustrated at the end of that game he got out and look at him on the bench here and he’s going to his teammates you know trying to hit everyone’s hand someone’s trying to hold
Him back and he’s like nope I’m going to continue this way it’s Malik he’s emotional guy for me that doesn’t bother me but for you if you had a teammate do that one of your emotional leaders do that what does that make you feel I would ask the question why why did you
Walk out because you’re frustrated with yourself are you going internal like especially in this time and in this moment of the Season like you got to be pretty tight-knit um there’s sometimes where other players like certain players respond differently and you have to let them be free and and and do that that’s
How they get to the right head space so but I would just I don’t know how he kind of manufactures his mind or like makes up his I don’t know um feeling to be able to come back for the next game is that his reset of just walking off
And going to locker room and just just ready in locker room we don’t know their conversations in the locker room right now is that something that he needed to do he just needed to get out um there were some open shots that he missed that he was a little bit frustrated with so
He might have been frustrated um with himself but I would just want to know why like your reasoning of Doing for speee Fore spe that that for for for for oh For fore that
ESPN reacts to Kyle Kuzma scores 31 helps Wizards snap 5-game skid with 109-102 win over Kings
